Conveyer system for unloading wagons



Allg- 5, 1952 D. K. HON, JR

CONVYER .SYSTEM FOR UNLODING WAGONS Filed Nov. 10, 1950 D. K. HON, JR

CONVEYER SYSTEM FOR UNLOADING WAGONS 2 SIfIEETS-SI-IEET 2 Aug. 5, 1952 Filed Nov. 10, 1950 INVENTOR.

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Petented Aug. 5, 1952 srAr CONVEYER SYSTEM FR UNLGADING 'f WAGONS Dan Hon, Jr., Paris, Ill. r Application November l0, 1250, Serial No. 195,034

1 claim. l

This invention relates to unloading apparatus, and more particularly to grain unloaders.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved unloading apparatus for grain and similar material, the apparatus being simple in construction, being easy to assemble, and providing an efficient and labor-saving means for unloading grain from a vehicle into an elevator.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved unloading apparatus for grain and other similar material, said apparatus involving relatively inexpensive components, being very durable in construction, being easy to control, and providing a great saving in time and labor in unloading grain or similar material from a vehicle. l

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Figure l is a top plan View of an improved unloading apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line -A of Figure l.

Referring to the drawings, II designates a Wagon having the sloping sides I2, i2 and the ilat, relatively narrow, bottom wall I3. Designated at I4 is a belt conveyor comprising side chains l5, I5 connected by upstanding, transverse angle bars I6 spaced apart at uniform intervals, the chain members I5, I having their upper portions located above the bed I3 of the wagon and their lower portions located below said bed. At the ends of the wagon suitable supporting sprockets are provided for engaging and guiding the chains I 5, I5. Designated at Il is a transverse shaft provided at the rear end of the wagon I I and supported in spaced bearings I8, IB, said shaft having the respective sprockets I9, I9 secured thereon. The chains I5, I5 pass over the sprockets I9, I9, as shown in Figures l and 4.

Secured to the side wall of the wagon II in alignment with the shaft Il is the housing 23 through which the shaft I7 axially and rotatably extends, and rotatably mounted on said shaft in said housing is a worm gear 2l formed with an inwardly extending clutch sleeve 22 formed with spaced clutch teeth. Designated at 23 is .a mating clutch sleeve splined on the shaft I1 for longitudinal sliding movement thereon, the sleeve 23 (Cl. 21d-44) 2 being formed with clutch teeth adapted to interengage with the clutch teeth of the sleeve 22. Designated at 24 is a lever pivoted at 25 to the wagon II, and designated at 25 is an annular clutch ring engaged in an annular groove in the sleeve 23, said ring being pivctally connected to the arms of a depending yoke 2'Il secured to the lower end portion of the lever 2d. It will be readily apparent that by rotating the lever 24 counterclockwise, as viewedin Figure 4, the sleeve 23 will be moved to the right and out of engagement'with the clutch sleeve 22, whereby the shaft Il will become uncoupled from the gear 2 I. Conversely, clockwise movement of the lever 24 moves the clutch sleeve 23 into interlocking engagement with the clutch sleeve 22 and couples the shaft Il to gear 2 I.

Designated at 28 is a worm which is journaled longitudinallyv in the housing 20 and which meshes with the worm. gear 2i. Worm 28 is mounted on a shaft 29 which is connected by a universal joint 3S to a squared shaft 3l slidably received in a tubular shaft member 32 which has a squared bore in which shaft 3I is non-rotatively receivable. Designated at 33 is a housing which is located adjacent to wagon II in any desired position relative thereto, said housing having journaled therein the bevel gears 34 and 35 which are meshingly interengaged, as shown in Figures l and 3. Bevel gear 35 is pivotally connected to the tubular shaft 32 through a universal joint 36. Bevel gear 34 is pivctally connected by a universal joint 3l to a shaft 3B which in turn is pivctally connected by a universal joint 39 to the transverse drive shaft 4i! of a conventional portable grain elevator 4I. Designated at A2 is a suitable power unit, such as an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or the like, the shaft of the power unit 42 being connected to the drive shaft 4G through universal joint 43, shaft section d4, and universal joint 45, as shown in Figure l. The grain elevator 4I is provided with the hopper portion 46 which is disposed beneath the rear end of the conveyor belt carried on the wagon I I in position to receive grain or other granular material discharged from the wagon by said conveyor belt. The hopper portion 45 has a short, upwardly and laterally inclined conveyor belt 41 which is driven by the shaft 40 through .a sprocket chain 48 and suitable sprockets engaged thereby and mounted respectively on shaft 4E! and on the end transverse shaft of the chain conveyor 4l. The chain elements of conveyor 4l are connected by the uniformly spaced, transverse angle bars 49, similarly to the manner in which the Iangle bars I6 are connected to the chains I5, I5. The hopper section 46 is pivotally supported on upstanding brackets 50 carried by the lower end of the main conveyor section of the grain elevator 4|.

In operation, grain or other granular material in the wagon is conveyed rearwardly by the endless belt conveyor of the wagon and is deposited into the hopper section 46 of the grain elevator. The material thus deposited is conveyed along the hopper section and is deposited into the receiving section of the main conveyor portion 5| of the grain elevator 4| and is then conveyed upwardly on the main portion of the grain elevator and is discharged at thertop endvof said main portion into the storage chamber, shown in fragmentary view at 52. It will be apparent that the chains I5, I5 on the wagon are driven from the power unit 42 of .the grainelevator through the shafts 40, 38, the universal joints 39, 31, the bevel gears 34, 35, the adjustable shaft elements 32, 3|, the universal joints 36, 30, the

worm 28, the worm gear 2|, the clutch elements 22, 23 and the shaft 1. By providing thevarious universal joints 30,l 3B, 31 and 3 9, andthe slidable shaft elements 3|, 32, the elevator 4| may 4be oriented in any desired direction with respect to the wagon Il' over a wide range of different relative positions.

When the unloading operations have been completed, the belt conveyor of the wagon and itsl drivingfconnections may be removed and disconnected from the drive shaft 40 of the grain elevator, and the wagon'may thereafter be -employed as an ordinary farm wagon.

AWhile a specific embodiment of `an improved unloading apparatus for grain and similar material has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to-those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as Vdefined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a separable driving linkage for a normally separated wagon and elevator each of which is provided with a conveyor and with a transverse drive shaft operatively connected to one end of each conveyor for driving the same, a worm gear adapted to be rotatably mounted upon the wagon drive shaft; a clutch element adapted to be Vmounted upon the Wagon drive shaft and connected to the worm gear for rotation therewith; a manually controlled second clutch element mounted to slide upon the wagon drive shaft into and out of engagement with the first clutch element and adapted, under the control of an operator, to couple the worm gear with the wagon drive shaft in a driving relationship; a worm meshing with the worm gear; a jointed, extensible shaft connected to the worm for rotation therewith; a bevel gear secured to said extensible shaft for rotationtherewith; a second bevel gear meshing with the first bevel gear; a jointed shaft adapted to be connected separably at one end to one end of the elevator drive shaft and connected at its other end to the second bevel gear for rotation therewith; and a source of motive power connected to the other end of said elevator drive shaft for joint operation of said elevator and wagon conveyors.

DAN K. HON, Jn.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 959,679 Wunder May 31, 1910 1,925,988 Lower Sept. 5, 1933 2,422,268 Symonds June 1'7, 1947 

